Delray Group Facing Changes

The new president and directors of the downtown's refurbished Pineapple Grove section will have to usher in changes after the annual meeting Sept. 22.

"We're in a transition stage, wondering what to do next," said Cecelia Boone, incoming president of the Pineapple Grove Main Street Organization and a Pineapple Grove resident.

One of the challenges is the loss of program manager Glenn Weiss, 46. He resigned in June to pursue a career as a consultant in public art, leaving the Pineapple Grove Mainstreet Organization without a full-time manager.

Other changes to the landscape of Pineapple Grove include two new housing developments that will bring more pedestrian traffic and create more demand for residential services such as dry cleaners.

To show support, the city's Community Redevelopment Agency has put aside 10 hours a week for a new planning person to come aboard to write grants and plan art events. But with the city budget tight, there are concerns about how much money will be available and the direction the organization should take.

"Normally we have 15 to 25 people at our board meetings, but at our July 14 meeting we had 80 people show up," said Nancy Stewart, 45, Pineapple Grove Main Street Organization president and owner of Avenue Creative Group.

In the nine years since its inception, the mostly volunteer organization has redeveloped and gentrified the tiny section of Delray Beach from a dilapidated neighborhood to one of chic shops, galleries and street art.

But with the success of its efforts comes a new set of issues that need to be addressed.

The Pineapple Grove Village, on Third Avenue between Second and Third streets, will have 160 apartments and townhouses ready for occupancy between November and March. A residential and commercial building will be completed next year on the site of the Annex Restaurant and the Grove Car Wash on Northeast Second Avenue and Second Street. A parking garage is planned at Second Avenue and First Street.

Tom Fleming, one of the co-founders of the Pineapple Grove Mainstreet Organization, sees the need for re-evaluating its direction in the face of these changes.

"The fact that hundreds of residents will be moving in and interacting in close proximity with commercial interests is important to address. They need to find the answer to sustainable revitalization," said Fleming, 52.

Money has been provided by the Downtown Development Authority and the Community Redevelopment Agency to make upgrades, such as building facades, adding brick pavers, twinkling lights for trees, plantings on the roundabouts, and eliminating utility poles on Second Avenue.

But with the city working on its annual budget for the fiscal year, and some uncertainty about finances available for the Pineapple Grove Main Street Organization, members and businesses are bracing for whatever comes their way.

"These are challenging times for all nonprofits, as well as cities and states across the country. This has caused us to reassess our goals to find ways to fulfill our mission," said David Beale, 54, the group's secretary and a lawyer who has an office in Delray Beach.

"Do we throw up our hands and declare victory, we're done? No, we're not done; there are still things to be completed. The sidewalks on First Avenue need repair. We need to get people to come down farther than Second Avenue."

Rosalind Murray, 43, program manager for West Atlantic Avenue at the Community Redevelopment Agency, said Pineapple Grove merchants are happy with the organization and want it to continue.

"The property owners are different from the merchants, and perhaps some of them are not as enthusiastic about going forward," Murray said. "There's still work to be done, and we need to keep a long-term vision. Priorities change with different leadership, but a long-term consultant and a commitment to Pineapple Grove Main Street Organization is an important part of our long-term planning."

So far, the leadership is on the same page.

"The program needs to be reorganized, and it needs to get back to basics with a professional person with expertise in the Main Street approach," Fleming said.

"The real challenge will be if the city doesn't give us the funding that we've always gotten, which enabled us to hire a full-time project director," Beale said.